ECE+3575+Quality+in+North+American+Early+Childhood


 * Each class member should investigate what quality indicators of early childhood programs are expected in North America (Don't forget Canada, Hawaii, and Alaska). Choose one indicator of quality, explain what the indicator is, then explain how we are doing in implementing that indicator. Do not duplicate entries (first come first serve).**

One of the most valuable indicators of high quality early childhood programming in North America is having qualified teachers and administrators on staff. In the article “Quality Early Education and Child Care From Birth to Kindergarten” ([]) this indicator is observed by having staff with college degrees in early childhood education, child development associate’s credential, ongoing in-service training, parent’s first-hand observations of care and low turnover rate. This indicator is important to us as future educators because it makes the degrees we are currently working on worth something in the field. Without the training of early child development the program would not be able to fully understand the developmental needs of the children. I believe high quality programs are implementing this indicator by hiring qualified staff members and providing (and some even requiring) additional opportunities for ongoing training. -Martha

Another indicator of high quality early childhood programming in North America is being aware of infection control. This indicator is a very broad topic however it can be broken down into many different categories which should all be met in order to have a high quality program. Infection control consists of hand-washing with soap and running water after diapering, before handling food, and when contaminated by body fluids. It consists of children washing their hands after toileting and before eating, routinely cleaned facilities, toys, equipment and up-to-date immunizations of staff and children. This indicator is very important especially when dealing with infants-preschoolers and it should be taken very seriously. - Michelle Gergel

When reflecting on the Characteristics of Quality Child Care video, I realized one of the indicators of quality surprised me: being a not-for-profit organization. However, when I reviewed the definition of "nonprofit organizations," it made sense that this practice indicates high quality. The video explained it simply: nonprofit child care centers "guarantee that all available funding is directly serving the children." I admire when an organization pours its money back into the program to better itself and achieve its goals; that displays true dedication to its cause. There are quite a few nonprofit child care centers in Georgia, so I believe this state is doing well at implementing the indicator. There are several nonprofit child care centers across the mainland United States, but I was unable to find any in Hawaii or Alaska; I find this to be very negative, and I feel we as a country definitely need to work on establishing some nonprofit child care centers in our non-mainland American states. - Cayce

One indicator of high quality early childhood programs is the teacher- child ratio in the classroom.  As Zero to Three points out in their article, [|State Policies to Improve the Odds for the Healthy Development and School Readiness of Infants and Toddlers] " The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Research Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, National Research Council, and National Association for the Education of Young Children make different recommendations on ratios and class size, but they generally do not exceed one adult for every four 18-month-olds and a maximum class size of eight." There is no set national standard for classroom ratios. Multiple research findings have proven that smaller ratios of child to adult in the classroom have an impact on social and emotional development of young children, as well as help to develop complex language, and build strong relationships with peers and adults in their lives. The article states that only 8 out of the 50 states have ratios that remain within the general recommendations. If there was a national policy on the matter, and a national classroom ratio for teacher to child was set it would not only improve early childhood education care practices but would open more job opportunities for early childhood teachers. With multiple teachers in larger groups of early care classrooms teachers are able to provide more individualized care, promote positive bonding experiences with children, give children a sense of security in the classroom environment, and promote positive interaction with peers, increasing the standards of early childhood care in the United States as a whole.  -Rebecca

A very important indicator of quality education that very often gets overlooked is providing culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment. Assessment of international children or non-English speakers can be invalid due to not providing a sufficient way to assess them. The NAEYC stated "[f]or optimal development and learning of all children, educators must accept the legitimacy of children’s home language, respect (hold in high regard) the home culture, and promote and encourage the active involvement and support of all families, including extended and nontraditional family units” (NAEYC 1995, 2). Therefore children should be assess in their native language and in a culturally appropriate manner in order to gain a valid assessment of the child. This indicator is very important in order to provide the best educational experience for all children. -- Marla